Homeless Children Not Receiving Necessary Educational Services

The report, being compiled by the new office for the education of
homeless children and youth within the Education Department, represents
the first stage in federal efforts to help states make adequate plans
to deal with a problem that officials at both levels of government say
is more pressing than they had realized.

Both state and federal planners last week acknowledged, however,
that the forthcoming report's count of homeless children, to be
released Feb. 15, will represent "very conservative" numbers supplied
by the states. The state counts come from rough estimates and anecdotal
evidence, they said, and reflect political pressures on officials to
downplay the scope of the problem.

Those interviewed last week agreed that their tallies most likely
represent only a third of their states' total population of homeless
children.

Even so, said Edward E. Smith, the federal official who is preparing
the report, "theinued on Page 19

Continued from Page 1

policy implications are staggering." The report will show, for example,
that a high percentage of homeless young are age 5 or under, he
said.

The state counts were required under the Stewart B. McKinney
Homeless Assistance Act of 1987. The portrait they paint is expected to
bolster the case made by other recent reports that greater attention to
children's services in programs for the homeless is essential.

Last year, for example, the National Academy of Sciences determined
that children were among the fastest-growing homeless group.

The National Coalition for the Homeless last year estimated that
there were between 500,000 and 750,000 school-age homeless nationwide,
and that only about 43 percent attended school regularly.

Little Money, Big Challenge

In addition to requiring a state count of homeless children, the
McKinney Act stipulates that officials determine whether any state laws
or policies prevent homeless children from attending school, and that
they develop plans to provide educational services to such children
that are equal to those provided other state residents.

But complying with the McKinney Act has been a much greater
challenge, many state education officials say, than they expected.

While the act has enabled them to see how serious the problem is,
they assert, it has offered no guidance and little funding to deal with
it.

Unless the Bush Administration decides to fully fund the McKinney
Act, which has only received a fraction of the money called for in the
original bill, educators predict that little real progress will be
made.

Advocates for the homeless are already criticizing what they see as
the "snail's pace" of state compliance.

"There has been an extraordinary delay," said Maria Foscarinis,
spokesman for the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington.
"And time is so precious when you're dealing with the education of
kids.''

Cynthia L. Uline, coordinator of Pennsylvania's office of education
for homeless children and youth, responded that "the McKinney Act has
been a helpful impetus, but it doesn't help states know what to
do."

Mr. Smith, in the federal office, acknowledged that the Education
Department has been reluctant to "tell people what to do."

The McKinney Act mandates only that states submit a plan to receive
funding. It does not require that the plan be approved or offer
sanctions for those who do not comply. Mr. Smith said he can only offer
"suggestions" about the states' proposals.

Sensitive and Complex Issue

Mr. Smith also noted that the issue is a particularly complex and
sensitive one. Many state leaders, he said, have been unwilling to
admit the severity of the homelessness problem in their own
jurisdictions.

And for those who would like to take action, the question of funding
has been a stubborn obstacle.

"There are a lot of people out there who will say, 'Hey, if the Feds
are not going to pay for it, then I'm not going to impose any new rules
on districts and ask them to pay for it'," Mr. Smith said.

"People are going to try to go tiptoeing around this thing because
it's

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